Litany of Peace
by Ketaikeon
Summary: Natsuka sets out to find his master and the secrets of his past. However, his journey takes a detour as he is pulled into a plot of magic and darkness concerning the monsters and Victoria Dungeon.
1. Pursuit

The dark streets and alleyways of Kerning City were crowded with the usual medley of local businesspeople, gangs of hoodlums, and occasional travelers from the other towns. The streetlights, crooked from repeated beatings, hung ominously over the streets. Dim electric lighting emanated from the many pubs, nightclubs, and sleazy restaurants in the roads. Vendors jabbered in a multitude of languages, including Korean and Zipanguan. Thieves hollered at each other through the streets, where loud bangings of metal against metal echoed loudly. The setting sun to the west cast the city in a bath of bloodred light. Clouds, tinted the colors of the sunset, loomed over the tall buildings.

A little girl, clad in a red jacket, was drawing pictures on the pavement. She munched at a stick of fried baby octopus legs as she traced patterns on the ground with multicolored chalk. Her amethyst eyes were narrowed, focused intently on her current activity. Her black hair was brushed into two pigtails near the sides of her head.

The noisy barbershop stood behind her. Her father yelled at the customers, and the customers yelled back. Hair of all colors was strewn over the steps leading up to the shop, along with slimy shampoo, conditioner, hair dyes, and other garbage. Despite its deplorable condition, the barbershop was actually quite well off compared to some of the poorer shops of the city. The patrons of the shop, although noisy and bad-mouthed, paid her father well.

To her disappointment, Nella dropped the stick of octopus legs onto the chalk-covered ground. Her eyes began to water, but she struggled not to cry. "Daddy says not to waste food..." she whispered nervously to herself. Her father flew into rages over wasted food, but her mother... Her mother said that it was because they struggled so hard to make a living in this city that he has to let his stress out sometimes.

"Daijoubu da yo, kore o taberu, ore wa," declared a voice behind her.

Jumping up, Nella turned to see who it was. It was that Natsuka boy again, the skinny one who wore rags and spoke in her mother's language. His rags seemed worse than usual; threads dangled loosely from the strange outfit. The boy snatched the stick from the ground, looking apprehensively at her.

"Hoshii desu ka?"

Nella shook her head. Natsuka's dark eyes widened. He immediately began wolfing down the food, muttering a hasty thanks to the girl. A strange feeling tugged at Nella's heart, as she looked upon the boy. He looked cadaverous; his thin bones looked like barely enough to support his weak, child's body. His dark eyes looked sad and lonely, despite his confident voice.

"Chotto matte, Natsuka-kun" she called at him. She ran into the barbershop, leaving her chalk drawings behind. The boy looked very confused, but he waited patiently.

"Here you go," she puffed as she ran back. She offered the fried chicken to the boy. The boy looked confused, until Nella repeated the statement in Zipanguan.

Now the boy looked visibly surprised. The girl had given him scraps before, but never a real, untouched meal. His shaking hands moved slowly to the food when suddenly, a loud voice barked angrily at him.

"You! Get away from here you! Nothing better than a stray dog, stealing our food," shouted Andre as he stumbled out of the shop. He nearly tripped on the slick locks of hair littering the front steps.

Nigero!" he shouted, waving his arms like a windmill. He sincerely hoped to drive the boy away.

Natsuka was sprinting as fast as he could down Xihan Street. His short legs couldn't carry him very far; he knew that all too well. The rags covering his body were already drenched with sweat. His black hair was also plastered to his pale skin. In the dimming sunlight, it shone like a raven's wing.

Blood pounded in his veins, and fear nearly paralyzed his mind with terror. He mindlessly threw his weakening body forward. A gang behind him took notice, and they began taunting and jeering. Natsuka finally collapsed on the asphalt, out of exhaustion. His lungs and legs burned painfully, as did his scratched face and arms. He struggled to his feet and leaned against the alley wall, panting heavily. He slipped and fell to the ground

He would probably die here. It did not make much difference to him; he had been starving for food for almost as far back as he could remember. Occasionally he received a kindness or two from the young girl, Nella, who snuck food to him under her father's nose. Maybe that was his reason for living, just to see the kind smile on the small girl's face, her amethyst eyes looking concerned for him.

"There you are, you little shit," snarled a gruff voice behind him. Natsuka froze. He did not even dare to breathe.

A rough hand seized his shirt and pulled him off the ground. A few of the gang members retreated as the leader glared at Natsuka. His putrid breath was warm against the boy's ear. They were all teenagers, of a wide variety of hairstyles, skin colors, and heights. However, their menacing grins and dark eyes sent cold chills down Natsuka's spine.

The leader had the scariest look of all; he was the one who had dragged Natsuka off of the ground. His deep brown hair was slicked into spikes like a porcupine. Beneath his greasy hair, his icy blue eyes seemed to bore a hold into Natsuka's waning confidence.

"So you shit, what you do to us, you remember, ne?" he asked pointedly.

"Don't know! Sorry, sorry!" shouted Natsuka, answering back in the street slang. He tensed his body, expecting a hard blow.

The leader leered dangerously. "Steals us one of our foods, you do that. Geddit?"

Natsuka felt a desperate urge tug at his heart. He had to live through this; there must be some way he could escape. In frustration, he kicked upwards sharply. Although he missed his intended target, his foot collided hard just above, into the teen's stomach. He felt brief satisfaction, watching the leader clutch his dirtied white undershirt in pain. Natsuka's happiness, however, was short-lived; two other thugs stepped up to restrain him. Kicking wildly, Natsuka glared into the eyes of the furious leader. If his was the end, he might as well make a suicidal attempt.

"Let go of him," said a solemn voice above them. The gang froze, uncertain of what to do. The leader looked about wildly.

Two steel throwing knives sailed through the air. Red ribbons, tied to their hilts, waved behind them as they embedded themselves at the sides of the two thugs holding Natsuka. They missed them by a hairsbreadth. Their breathing immediately quickened, and their grips loosened. Natsuka struggled violently, pulling themselves out of their grasp.

Their leader was about to protest, when a steel knife caught him in the throat. It was thrown with so much force that the weapon pinned him to the wall. Coughing and spluttering violently, his eyes rolled back into his skull. Then, all was silence. The rest of the gang, screaming, scattered, scared silly by what had just happened.

A tall figure leapt to the ground, like a spider. Natsuka hastily got to his feet and looked at him defiantly.

He could not have been older than twenty. Although he looked thin, he seemed to possess the agility and fierceness of a cat. Much of the lower half of his face was covered by a black scarf. His hazel eyes looked wary but tired. His straw blonde hair jutted out in messy bands around his head. A gleaming claw, made of leather and orange admantium, covered his entire right arm. His other arm was bare, save for a leather glove. He wore the high-level gear of an experienced assassin, the Red Moon set of black cloth accented with read.

Remembering what little he knew of manners, Natsuka bowed deeply. "A-a-arigato," he stuttered in Zipanguan. "Oh- I mean- thank you," he corrected himself nervously, now in the common tongue. The sounds felt awkward coming out of his mouth, but he deeply wished to convey his gratitude.

The hint of a smile seemed to play across the man's face. Natsuka wondered if this was a trick of the waning sunlight, as he saw it disappear. The man looked around distractedly, as if he were looking for something. Then, nodding politely at Natsuka, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" cried Natsuka. "I... I need to learn fight. How to fight," he said desperately. "I'm always, always afraid, hungry, weak. Teach me how to fight."

The man paused, contemplating. Natsuka tensed; he wondered if he had overstepped the boundaries between them. An experienced fighter like that man usually had nothing to do with the lowly street urchins here...

"Alright," the man said with deliberation. His voice, surprisingly strong and clear, cut through the darkness. "You'll have to see the Dark Lord- I can't help you as of now..." he broke off. Stepping forward, his intense gaze met Natsuka's. The boy wanted to look away; he could feel himself squirming inside. Despite this, he boldly stared into the assassin's eyes.

"Nevermind that- I'll escort you to him. Come, and try to keep up as best as you can..." he said, disappearing into the dark streets.

He walked with long, purposeful strides. His feel barely made any sound against the pavement. Natsuka jogged along, in order to keep up. The night was dark, but the city lights glowed dimly overhead. The occasional star could be seen in the sea of black sky, twinkling weakly. Natsuka would normally have felt exhausted by now, but, today, he was moved by a new sense of purpose and urgency.


	2. Reliance

_Five years later. Natsuka is fifteen, Nella is fourteen._

* * *

Business at the Kerning barbershop was good today. A small crowd of people hollered at the two barbers, who frantically walked back and forth between the stools. The owner, a dark-skinned man, wore a pair of gleaming silver sunglasses and sported a sunflower yellow afro. Like the owner, the skinny and pale assistant also advertised the barbershop's skills with his long tresses of wavy orange hair. Both men wore classy white suits with bright red ties, carefully kept clean as they went about their business.

Scissors snipped at hair and various potions and perfumes were squeezed out of several bottles. As usual, hair and shampoo made the checkerboard floor easy to slip on. Loud swearing could be heard as new customers tripped over the messy floor. The more experienced customers laughed at the falling newbies as they skirted the dangerous piles of oily hair.

Outside of the barbershop, the carefree banter of the satisfied customers mingled with the loud complaints of the unsatisfied ones. Thankfully, to the barbershop's workers' relief, the sound of the former overwhelmed the sound of the latter. The customers ranged from ordinary denizens of Kerning to foreigners from as far away as Orbis. The sight of some of the more famous patrons, such as the leaders of large guilds, also attracted the openmouthed stares of the younger generation in the city.

"Oy! Jobs for hire, good pay and training!" shouted a young girl's voice above the city din.

Her clear, amethyst eyes paid no heed to the shiny clothes of the rich and powerful walking out of the barbershop behind her. She dressed stylishly, in her denim jeans and white t-shirt, accented with a red bandana around her neck. On her belly button and her ears hung tiny silver rings that glittered in the light. The occasional passerby stopped by to talk to her, but she was largely ignored next to the large barbershop.

After a few hours had run by, the noisy crowd that had been hanging around the barbershop now began to disperse. The famous people had left already, presumably to find somewhere to party in one of Kerning's nightclubs. The sun now began to dip lower in the sky, looming over the western part of the city. The summer afternoon began to lose its stifling humidity as darkness crept at the horizon. Nella settled herself on the brick steps leading to the barbershop, looking up at the cloudy sky.

"Nella, so how did your job business go so far?" boomed Don's voice behind her, as he sidled next to her.

"Not so well..." sighed Nella, her eyes downcast. I still need to manage agreements between who wants jobs and who needs these jobs, you know? It's really a problem-"

"Where's your boyfriend tonight? Shall we invite him to dinner again?" questioned the smooth voice of Dr. Andre.

Nella paid no heed to the 'boyfriend' jibe. She ignored the sight of his sly eyes wandering over to her behind in her tight jeans and scrutinizing her good figure- that she had gotten used to a while ago. She looked him straight in the eyes and calmly replied "Yes, he's coming to dinner tonight."

Don raised a stern eyebrow at Andre, peering over his sunglasses. His violet eyes stared intensely into the other man's eyes, until Dr. Andre looked away in embarrassment. Satisfied that the skinny man was no longer ogling his daughter, he relaxed. The large man turned around, walking back into the house to make some dinner.

A tall, lanky figure swung down from the roof, landing in front of them with a thump. He nodded to Andre and Nella in greeting. A Dark Shadow outfit of sleeveless shirt and knee-length shorts hung loosely on his frame. Gray metal formed the shoulder, wrist, and knee guards, as well as the belt, and accented the black cloth the rest of the clothes were made out of. He donned a Black Pilfer on his head, a bandana with a menacing skull and crossbones pattern on it. Fingerless Gold Arbion gloves, made of interlocking steel and gold plates, sheathed his hands.

He smiled cheerfully at both of them. Andre seemed to be extremely surprised at his sudden arrival, while Nella nodded back and looked at him with traces of admiration in her eyes.

"So, what's for dinner?" Natsuka asked expectantly, as his empty stomach began to rumble.

* * *

In the makeshift dining table in the middle of the barbershop, four figures sat amongst piles of smelly newspapers and magazines. As Nella set the final dish of salad before Natsuka, the assassin boy immediately began dumping garlic and pepper dressings over the raw lettuce. His deep brown eyes shone brightly with anticipation, while Don and Andre leaned back in their seats and chatted to each other. Nella was about to settle down in her seat, next to Natsuka, when the doorbell buzzed above them.

Looking up from his dripping salad in surprise, Natsuka watched Nella intently as she hurried over to the door. Evidently, she was also surprised; her eyes had widened at the sound, and she hesitated before standing up to get the door. A teenager about a few years older than Natsuka walked in with a jaunty stride. He donned a Gold Dragon robe, a sleeveless, oriental-style top of black and golden cloth. Swirling dragon designs of gold thread snaked across the cloth, bound by a blue sash at the waist. His arrogant, pale green eyes swept across the room but slowed to a halt on Nella. Locks of dirty blonde hair were swept to the sides of his face, with the rest of it tied in a ponytail.

"Oh, welcome, Gil, so nice to see you back here again," greeted Don Giovanni. He beamed proudly, and Natsuka realized that this boy was probably one of his clients. He was possibly a rich one at that- his haircut had the cool, rebellious look that Natsuka had seen many young teenagers ask for.

"And it's good to see you again, Mr. Giovanni," responded Gil, bowing respectfully.

Nella's shoulders relaxed as the warrior took his eyes off her. Natsuka, no longer interested in the conversation, began to shovel his spicy salad into his mouth. Gil raised an eyebrow, looking critically at the young assassin, but he did not say a word. With long strides, he walked over to the table confidently. He pulled over another stool and sat himself down next to Natsuka, on the assassin's right. Nella nervously took a seat at Gil's other side.

"So, who exactly are you?" asked Gil, looking at Natsuka suspiciously.

Natsuka felt distinctly uncomfortable at the appearance of the stranger between him and Nella. Looking up from his food, he gulped down the mush in his mouth. "My name's Nat- nice to meet you," he said to him. Their eyes met briefly, and then the assassin turned back to his food and resumed eating. Looking unsure of what to do, Gil began to converse freely with Don Giovanni. Andre and Nella made small talk amongst themselves, but Natsuka noticed that they kept glancing nervously at the barbershop owner and the warrior, as if they were afraid of them.

"How has business been going recently?"

"Oh, very well in fact- polite boy you are," responded Don confidently. He snuck a disapproving glance at Natsuka, who was now reaching across the table for the Fried Chicken. Natsuka shrugged the gesture off- Don had always considered him a bad influence on his daughter, and that would probably never change. He brought his prize to his mouth, smelling the appetizing aroma. He began eating the meat off the wing, and then he proceeded to chew into the soft marrow of the bones. Natsuka knew that this "street boy" habit of eating the bones would undoubtedly win Don's disapproval again, but he did not really care.

"How has Nella been doing?" inquired Gil, sneaking a glance at the girl. Nella appeared totally absorbed in her conversation with Andre about the weather, but Natsuka knew better, with all the tension in the air around her. He could picture her wringing her hands anxiously beneath the table.

"She's been very well, very well," said Don distractedly. He looked up at the fluorescent lighting above.

Natsuka grew tense, preparing himself in case an awkward statement came up. The conversation seemed to be heading in a bad direction. No one in the house or even in the nearby neighborhood mentioned the death of Nella's mom. Although the circumstances could probably have been expected, because of the racist groups continually rampaging through Kerning, it was a shock to all of them. The effect was harshest on Nella. Natsuka soon realized that her attempts to start a job recruiting business sprouted from her determination to work and help provide for herself. Although he had his share of making fun of Nella, he would never dare to insult or persuade her out of her newly formed business venture.

"Oh, I almost forgot my manners!" declared Don suddenly. "Gil, would you like to stay here from the night? You can have the back room there," he offered, steering the conversation into safer waters. He gestured to the room in the back of the barbershop, next to the storage closet. "It's not much, but you can stay here if you don't want to get mobbed at some sleazy hotel out there," he laughed.

Gil paused momentarily. "Alright, I'll stay here," he finally replied. Natsuka could not stand the smug grin on his face, as if he were better than these people with his shiny new clothing. He also felt that Don was doing him a great injustice by carelessly giving away Natsuka's room to this total stranger.

"Thank you for the meal, I best be going now," he thanked Don curtly. Splinters of hard bone were all that was left on his dinner plate. The bottom of the stool scratched across the linoleum floor as he stepped away and walked out of the barbershop.

* * *

"Natsuka? Natsuka, where'd you go now?" called Nella worriedly. The sky was completely dark now, and the dim streetlights lit the streets around them. A thin sliver of crescent moon glowed brightly above the city. She looked upwards at the telephone pole. To her relief, a familiar dark figure was perched at the top, staring up at the moon floating in the sky. He was playing with something in his hands, the limp item flopping back and forth between his fingers.

"Look here... I need to talk to you," said Nella in total seriousness. "That guy, Gil... Daddy- I mean Dad- likes him a lot, since he's rich and polite and everything. I'm pretty sure he wants... to marry me," confessed Nella, looking at the ground.

With reluctance, Natsuka leapt to the roof, then descended to the ground beside Nella. Nella could now see that he had a claw in his hands, one of worn, black leather and dull, burnt orange metal. Natsuka looked embarrassed, but he slipped the claw over his arm and flexed the fingers experimentally. The faint moonlight glinted off the rooftops above them, in the darkness of nighttime. Although the light from the streetlights did not illuminate the area very well, Natsuka could still see the hopeless expression on Nella's face.

"Nella... I don't know what to say," said Natsuka. He looked mildly distracted, staring emptily at the assassin's weapon between his hands. "I don't know if you like him or not, but, whatever happens, I think you should do just what you want. Fight for it, whatever it is... But you should also listen to your dad's judgment sometimes."

"Whose judgment do you listen to, Natsuka?" demanded Nella. Her eyes shone in the lamplight. "I know you've never needed to listen to anyone in your life, you're always arrogant but cool, you always seem to think you know what you're doing, but how do you know what you should be doing? You're the justice assassin, the superhero guy who jumps around the roofs and does the whole 'noble thief' act of defeating the gangs and eating Ligators for lunch. Why can't I find or follow my own dreams?"

Natsuka paused. "You're wrong, Nella," he said quietly. "Sometimes I feel really angry when people are unfair to each other- everything was unfair to me as a kid, so I wanted to change it. But, I didn't do it alone- Kelfazin told me what to do a lot. He said a lot of things to me, some of which I didn't understand at the time. He talked about almost everything. Just before throwing his Steelies, he talked about how he wondered what the monsters think about this. Just before punishing a criminal, he would talk about mercy and justice and then pretend that it was nothing, laughing it off like it was a joke to him. I think he was lying then- I think he really believed in those things. But no matter what he said... I always tried to follow his judgment- I mean, I still do so now, except... it's so hard now that he's gone."

"That sounds like... mom..." said Nella in a quiet voice, her eyes averted. Natsuka decided to keep talking- he remembered how Kelfazin kept talking to him about nothing in particular when he was crying as a small child. It had comforted him, making his pains seem distant while his thoughts strayed to whatever topic the older assassin had decided to talk about.

"He always told me to do his best. I don't know why, but he called himself a lousy assassin that would never amount to anything. He always said that about himself, and he seemed sad about it too. But I think he said it so much that it was now an inside joke to him- and maybe me, although I never found it very funny. I always thought that if I were him, I would say that I was the most awesome assassin on the streets besides the Dark Lord- but, now... I've learned that there are a lot of people in the world," he said, looking up at the starless sky. "I really want to. You're going to think me an idiot for this, but- I really want to find out where he went. I'm very sure he went to Ossyria, there was a boarding schedule near his pillow the day he disappeared, and-" he broke off, noting that Nella had shifted visibly.

"You should go," said Nella with deliberation. Unless he was mistaken, her eyes seemed reddish in the lamplight, as if she had been crying. He gave her a strange look.

"I have a good idea now- you should go to Orbis, and take that Gil guy with you. Tell him that you're going to do some deliveries for some people- I'm sure you'll find some people who have relatives or something like that Ossyria. Just sneak away from him as you're traveling, ask around for people who want to send messages or something," said Nella quickly. "And then," she continued, a smirk on her face. "Ditch him! Leave him flailing around in... El Nath or something, he can have fun there without me."

Natsuka laughed at the idea. He knew himself too well- he was sorely tempted to leave the pampered aristocrat of a warrior in the freezing pine forests of El Nath. But, he also knew, his conscience would probably direct him in another direction once he actually reached Orbis. Either way... it would be tricky to find people who wanted to send things to the other continent. He would probably manage somehow, he reassured himself. He looked at Nella worriedly. Although the streets were safer now than they were five years ago, he still was concerned over her well-being. Too many people would not hesitate to commit crimes of violence against her and her family.

As if reading her mind, Nella forced out a laugh. "Don't worry, I'll be fine- as long as our family has the barbershop, we'll all be fine on our own," she said cheerfully, with a confidence she did not truly feel. She could hear the happy sounds of Gil and her father talking together, and she felt another pang of guilt and anger that her father had handed Natsuka's room over to Gil.

Natsuka nodded at her. "See you tomorrow, Nella," he called, as he broke into a run. His shadowy figure disappeared into the dark alleyways, leaving her completely alone where she stood. Struggling to hold back tears, Nella walked back into the barbershop to go to sleep.


	3. Aiming

"Hey Gil?" a soft voice asked behind the warrior.

Mumbling nonsense words under his breath, the warrior pulled the soft pillow over his face. The light cotton blanket barely covered his body, leaving his bare feet poking out at the end. His long blonde hair, now untied, lay across the mattress like streamers from beneath the pillow. The fancy clothing he had worn before was carelessly thrown over a bedpost, next to a sheathed sword and a well-crafted knapsack filled with personal belongings.

Natsuka sighed. This was probably the dumbest plan Nella had come up with yet. For the umpteenth time, he wondered what he was doing here in the early morning, peeking at the warrior through the grimy window. The first few rays of sunlight barely reached reached the room, but it was enough to dimly illuminate the dusty broom closet of a room. Natsuka felt a brief pang of jealousy for how comfortable the warrior looked on the bed that rightfully belonged to Natsuka. He shrugged in resignation. He knew all too well that he could not argue with Nella now. The girl had disappeared off to some other corner of the city to buy breakfast. She fully expected him to go through with the ridiculous plan. This plan consisted of waking Gil up and convincing him to go on a random journey with the rude assassin that had dined with him at dinner the night before.

He carefully pushed the window open. Natsuka winced as the rusted hinges of the window creaked loudly, but, thankfully, Gil had not fully awakened yet. Ducking below the window, he groped at the tools he had brought along with him. He carefully lubricated the hinges with a few drops of oil, then edged the windows open a little bit more with a spare throwing star. Then, he took a long metal pole and carefully pushed it through the open window towards the sleeping warrior.

Natsuka stabbed at the empty air above Gil, missing his intended target several times. Finally, after a number of frustrating attempts, he managed to hook Gil's blanket with the bar. Pulling sharply, he dragged the blanket off Gil. He averted his eyes instinctively, staring embarassedly at the ceiling for a few minutes. He looked back at Gil as he realized, to his relief, the warrior was at least wearing boxers. Gil started to shiver without his covers, his breath now short and fast. Irritated, Natsuka wondered if the guy would ever wake up.

He jabbed at Gil's ribs with the metal bar now. "Hey, warrior boy, wake up," he whispered roughly at him.

Gil groaned loudly as he rose from bed. "Why- what the hell-" he muttered sleepily.

"Just get dressed and meet me on the roof," called Natsuka, as he withdrew the metal. He clambered up the telephone pole beside the building, expertly scaling it before jumping onto the roof. The sun was now beginning to rise. Now, he wondered absentmindedly to himself what sort of white lie he was to come up with next...

He nearly fell off the roof as he heard the loud banging noises echoing behind him. The inexperienced climber panted as he strugged onto hte roof, his fingers white from clinging onto the tiles. Natsuka grabbed the hands and, with great effort, pulled the other boy onto the roof. His eyes widened in surprise- he had not expected Gil to come so quickly. The warrior hastily adjusted the blue sash around his waist, his hair still askew from his strenuous climb.

"So," said Gil coldly, "It was you who had to poke me awake in the morning. This better be important, or I'll knock you off the roof." He glared at Natsuka, his hand traveling to the sword hilt at his waist.

Natsuka grimaced. He knew he was not the best liar, that option was probably out of the question now that he did not even prepare a lie to tell. Plus, the warrior looked very serious, his emerald eyes boring a hole into Natsuka's waning confidence. The assassin took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as he could to Gil.

"If I am not mistaken, you are on very friendly terms with Nella's family," he began, using the most polite language he could muster. "However, Nella is still recovering from the tragic loss of her mother a year ago. She felt too nervous to tell you this herself, but... I believe she wants you to keep your distance for now."

His words were met with sullen silence. Gil looked stunned; apparently, he had not heard the news yet. However, his expression hardened immediately once he reached his conclusions. "So, what does she expect me to now? Dally around until she feels better?" he demanded.

Now it was Natsuka's turn to glare at Gil. Why did this kid have to chase so blindly after a girl for whom he seemed to care so little about? Even Natsuka stood by the girl, trying to nurture her fragile happiness and refraining from such harsh criticism. He looked straight into Gil's eyes, preparing to answer. "I am planning to go on a trip to Ossyria... I have a few jobs to accomplish there, and, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you to accompany me on this trip," responded Natsuka smoothly.

The warrior narrowed his eyes in suspicion, scrutinizing Natsuka's face. The assassin boy remained calm. He took comfort in the fact that he had not lied once to Gil; this way, he could avoid any unnecessary confusion that might have been caused by any clumsy, half-baked lies he might have made. The two sat on the roof in silence. Crows cawed ominously above them, and the sounds of the waking city echoed through the alleyways below. After giving the matter some serious thought, the warrior nodded curtly at him.

"I will go with you, as you wish. I assume we'll be taking the taxi?"

"No... I'm sorry, but I cannot afford it. You might be able to, but I will have to walk most of the way, through the Perion route" admitted Natsuka.

"Very well... then, I'll go with you," declared the warrior, much to Natsuka's surprise.

The assassin wanted to laugh and make fun of the warrior. What sort of weak warrior was so easily disgruntled by being awakened in the early morning? Many of the seasoned travelers Natsuka had met took easily to waking up early like that. Some of the more enduring newbies were less easily agitated as this warrior- Natsuka reminded himself that he would probably have to continually appease the warrior's temper if he were to keep him as a traveling companion.

"Alright then... I've already told Nella I decided to go. I don't know about you, but maybe you-"

"It doesn't matter. I'll come along," cut in Gil. His emerald eyes gleamed with anticipation now, and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Let's go then."

* * *

They had set off a decent way from the main streets of Kerning city, now walking through the outskirts of the construction sites. The pair walked together most of the way in silence, although Natsuka occasionally gestured for Gil to follow him across certain obstacles like the metal pipes and wooden planks. Octopi and mushrooms mingled in the tall iron structures above them, making strange noises at each other. Manufacturing plants in the distance belched out gray smoke. The city seemed devoid of people in these abandoned parts only populated by monsters. Gil slashed at the occasional monster passing his way, carelessly leaving the remains behind. Natsuka, on the other hand, refrained from randomly slaughtering the monster if he could help it.

"I'm hungry," complained Gil.

"Didn't you bring food?" asked Natsuka, looking surprised. He began to rummage in the lumpy knapsack on its shoulder. Gil grasped his shoulder suddenly and grinned at Natsuka, shaking his head.

"No, no... It's alright for now, I'll be fine," the warrior said in a confident voice. The growling of his stomach betrayed his act. Gil's cheeks flushed red, and he whistled nervously as if nothing had happened.

"Oy, just remember to bring food next time," scolded Natsuka with a sigh. He withdrew a boiled egg from his pouch and handed it over to Gil. Looking sheepish, the warrior tried to wave the offering off, but Natsuka forcefully pushed it into his hands. The warrior brightened visibly as he took a tentative bite, and he chewed on the egg thoughtfully as the pair continued walking towards Perion.

"You know, I've never actually done this before... Maybe I should do this more often instead of riding the taxi," the warrior commented, looking at the gray skies above.

"Nah, the taxi is way better. I've been there a few times in my life, I should know. Feels much better than out here sometimes, especially when its humid or about to rain," he replied. He looked worriedly at the sky.

"The air's nicer outside," said Gil confidently, taking a deep breath of the city air. Natsuka started laughing at him again, earning him a suspicious look from Gil.

"Kerning's air is nasty compared to the other cities. Perion's slightly better, but it smells like dust. Lith smells like salt, and Henesys smells like manure if you get too close to the farms," responded Natsuka, looking wistfully into the distance. The mountains of Perion seemed to be growing nearer with every step they took. "However, Ellinia's the best. Its really stifling in the undergrowth areas, where there are lots of shrubs and crap, but if you get to the canopy- that's the top area- the air's the freshest thing you can imagine. Cleaner than anything," added the assassin.

Gil nodded, listening intently. "You know... I should do this sort of thing more often," he repeated. "Traveling by taxi's faster, but going slowly like this feels nicer... especially if you're talking to someone along the way." He hesitated a moment, looking apprehensively at Natsuka. "Do you still hate me or something? I swear I'll try not to be a bother."

"No, no, it's fine this way." Natsuka nodded at Gil cheerfully. The trip was not as unbearable as it had been in the beginning, with neither of them talking to each other over the early morning's events. The pair felt more carefree now as they walked together towards the mountains. By now, the late afternoon air felt comfortably cooler than the eariler noon humidity. The glow of the sun could be faintly seen behind the clouds covering the sky.

"Hey, we're almost there. See that ridge?" asked Natsuka, pointing into the distance. The mountain ranges of Perion towered in the distance, like giant sentinels. "That's the-" He was about to finish his sentence when a high-pitched scream of fear suddenly interrupted his words.


End file.
